Electric suction sweeper



T. w. GREEN ELECTRIC SUCTION SWEEPER Filed May' 25;.1921 5 sneetszsheet Oct. 18, 1927.

T. WfGREEN ELECTRIC sUfc'TI oN SWEEPER Filed May 25-. 1921 5 Sheets -Sheet 3 I 1 192 Oct T. w. GREEN ELECTRIC SUCTION SWEEPER Filed May 25,1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 |||||||I||lllflllfll 1 MTV m NW! Oct, 18,- 1927, MHGREEN ELECTRIC SUCTION SWEEPER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 "Filed May 25, 1921 Patented Oct. 18, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,646,088 PATENT OFFICE,

THOMAS W. GREEN OF WESTMONT, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T THOMAS WILBBAHAM GFEEN ENGINEERING 00., OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC SUCTION SWEEPER.

Application filed key 25,

My invention relates to electric vacuum sweepers 0f the type used for hand operation in the home.

The main purpose of my invention is to connect the fan element as directlyas possible with the inlet openings, gaining a maximumyof fan effort and a minimum of fluid friction.

'A further purpose is to apply central inlet and ed e distribution to a fan blower positioneddirectly over air inlet ports.

A further purpose is to increase the area of cross section of the ducts leading from the air inlet to the fan.

A further purpose is to break the fluid inlet up into a series of short spaced separate inlets, preferably distributed substantially throughout the circumference of the sweeper.

A further purpose is to provide separate spaced fluid inlets at the edge of the sweeper which'are diagonal to each other and hence some of them diagonal to whatever direction of travel be given thesweeper.

A further purpose is to improve the mounting of a beating brush and also its adjustment and connection or disconnection.

Further purposes appear in the descrip: tion and claims.

I have preferred to illustrate my invention by but one form thereof, selecting a form which is practical, highly eflicient, simple and of long life and which at the same time well illustrates the principles of my invention. 5

Figure l is a side elevation of this preferred form of my invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the structure seenin Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section of Figure 2 taken upon'line 33.

Figure 4 is a rear end elevation, partly broken away, showing this preferred form of my invention.

Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 are sections of Figure 3 upon lines 5-5, 6-45, 7-7 and 88 respectively. a

Figure 9 is a section of Figure 2 upon line Figure 10 is a top plan view of the fan element.

Figure 11 i-s'a section of the brush-controlling cam.

Figure--11 is a section corresponding to 1921. Serial No. 472,451.

of passage and unnecessary. restriction there of. Keeping this in mind I have aimed particularly at as direct application as possible of the motor to its duty, avoiding turns and all restrictions other than those necessary at the inlets adjacent to the floor.

Without intending to restrict myself to the form shown, and using it as an illustration only, I will now describe the best form of my invention known to me.

The frame of the sweeper is made up of two main parts, a lower intake of section shown at 11, and an upper section su porting the motor and shown at 12. T e intake section is preferably of nearly square shape, having front faces 13 and 14 presented diagonallyto the preferred direction of travel (across the sheet in Figures 1 and 2) and rear faces 15 and 16 also diagonal to this direction and meeting in a curved rear surface 17.

In the illustration, Figure 8, it will bev seen that the inlet ports 18 and 18' in plate 19, are composed of slits at anangle to their respective ad'oining faces and to each other and generally diagonal to the direction of movement. The ports 20 are diagonal to the ports 18 and 18', affording some ports substantially perpendicular to any direction of movement and some diagonal thereto and applying almost the entire circumference of the sweeper to air inlet without an excessive air inlet at any one point. The air inlets may be closed by a plate 21 held in place as by any suitable means when the hose attachments are in use.

The rectangular shape makes it convenient to operate the sweeper in corners and against flat side surfaces, iving a maximum range of surface over WhlCh it can be applied.

The front roller 22 is mounted within a space 23, cut off from the suction and large v 25 may be filled in by washers 26 or other idly secured to these packing material so that the thumb nut 27 will tighten the roller to the desired projection below the bottom plane of the sweeper, making the height from the floor ad-.

justablerin this manner.

Extending transversely across the approximate middle of the lower section are walls 28 and 29 forming a compartment communi eating through parts 30 with the space 31. Withm this compartment is located brush 32 whose mounting is best seen in Figure 9. This brush is mounted upon a spindle 33 supported laterally by plates at 34, which rmits vertical movement through slot 35 ut prevents lateral movement. The spindle carries a crown gear 36 meshin with a spur gear 37 upon the lower 'end of the fan shaft 38.

At opposite ends the spindle 33 is mounted in bearings 39 which are seated in verticallyextending guiding openings 40. Perpendicular to the paper in Figure 9 these openings are of circular cross section as best seen n Fi re 8. The bearings are connected with threaded pins 41 dpassing through plugs 42 which are screwe ends of these openings 40. When the bearings 39 are brought tight up against the plugs 42 by the thumb nuts 43, they are riglplugs. the erids of the spind e 33 may therefore be adjusted by slackenin thumb nuts 43, adjusting the heights of the plugs 42 and again tightening the thumb nuts. V

The partition walls 34 give lateral support to the spindle while permitting movement. through the walls to accommo ate the vertical adjustment of the brush.

The spindle 33 is longitudinally movable to efl'ect engagement and disengagement of the crown and spur'gears and carries at one end a head 44 with which a cam 45 engages,

to move the spindle positively in either direction. This cam structure is shown best in Figures 9 and 11 and 11.

At the rear of the structure upon opposite sides are mounted rollers 46 which are sup ported upon-spindles 47 extending laterally through slots 48 from plugs 49 of non-circular cross section. The plugs fit in non-circular recesses 50 and are adjusted in them by nuts 51 upon screws 52. The nuts bear u on rigid plates 53 and the screws are guided in o enmgs within the plates.

The ower compartment providing space 31 is artly closed at the top y a cover plate 54 which is apertured to form two sets of passages communicating with the upper co'mpartment.

into the threaded upper- The height of eas es The one set is shown in the openings 55, 56 and 57. The limiting walls of opening 56 are seen in cross section at 58, 59 in Figure 3, but the passages themselves are best/seen in Figure 7. In the upper compartment the limiting walls corresponding to openings and 57 are seen at 60, 61, 60, 61 and those of opening56 are seen at 62 and 63 (Figure 6).

The other set of openings comprises fan inlets directly beneath the fan, all of like character and shown at 64, 64, 64 64*, Figurcs 6 and 7, and of any desired number and preferably uniform spacing beneath the fan f'lades so as to provide direct intake there- The upper compartment provides openin'gs 55', 56, 57 corresponding to 55, 56 and 57 and also a discontinuous circumferentially-extending wall 65 interrupted by lateral openings forming outlets at 66 into a passage 67- communicating with the main ischarge'outlet 68'. One of the walls 65, shown at 65, is used as a boundary wall 63 for the passage 56, The fan 69 is provided with blades 70 and with a partly closed top 71 within which are cuts or slashes 72 providing outlet not only laterally through the passages 66, but vertically throu h the slashes 72 into communication with t e passage 67 and outlet 68. The communication between the cuts 72 and the outlet is made through openings 73 in the top wall 74 of the upper compartment. This wall affords a base for the. motor 75 by which the fan and gear 36 are operated.

I have not considered it necessary to illustrate the motor in detail, nor to show the electrical connections as'these are well known in the art and do not comprise any part of my invention. a p a The handle 76 is pivoted at 77 to an ear 78 upon a late 79 and this late is held to the cleaning tapestries, etc.; in which case the bottom openings are closed by a plate 21.

In operation, the cap 82 is normally in position and the plate 21 is removed to exose the inlet ports 18, 19' and 20. The brush is connected for o eration or (1180011- nected, respectively, by s ifting the cam 45 about its supportin pivot 83. The shifting of the cam from 1e to right in Figures'll' and 11 wedges the head 44 axially by en gagement with surface 45 forcing the headfrom the position of Figure 11' to that in Figure '11. With movement of the cam 45 from right to left in these figures the surface of the cam engages the head and shifts the head axially from the position shown in Figure 11 to that shown in Figure 11*. It will thus be seen that the cam controls the shifting of the head and consequently the shifting of the shaft 33 and the engagement or non-engagement of face gear 36 with pinion 37 The electric current is turned on by any convenient switch and rotation of the fan causes the air in the space 31 to be drawn up through the openings 64 into the space between the fan blades and to be discharged laterally through the ports or outlets 66 and passages and upwardly and outwardly through the openings 72 and the upper part of passages 67 The air thus handled is finall dischar ed through the main outlet 68 w ich may e connected with any discharge nozzle or container as in existing constructions. v

This exhaust of the air from space 31 causes suction through the inlet openings 18, 19 and 20 and, to any extent determined by the size of the openings also through the lower part of the brush compartment.

It will be noted that transverse division ofthe lower compartment by walls 28 and 29 separates the right and left hand portions of space 31 which for this purpose may be viewed as two compartments 31 and 31 The extentto which these are separated will depend upon the height of these walls and the thickness of the brush lying between them.

Suction from the lower portion of the sweeper into the fan takes place freely from the space 31' and 31 respectively through ports 64 at the left and right in Figure 3 and from the brush space to ports 64. and 64 shown at the top and bottom in Figure 6 providing a porting space which is relatively enlarged to compensate for the partial closure due to the pressence of the brush at this point.

In case of any relative crowding of the air throu h ports 64 and 64 atthe left or right in igure 3, and to equalize the passage of ,air through these two vports where the connection at 81 is used as a suction inlet, air is permitted totravel across from the compartment 31' to the compartment 32' through the ports and 57 from the ends 55 and 57 which are in unobstructed communication with the compartment 31', up into the u per compartment and across over the top 0 walls 28 and 29 and the brush to. ends 55 and 57 which are in'unobstructed communication with com artment 31 and hence, with the right han port 64 of Figure 3.

Since the handle can be swung to 0 rate the swee er in a direction perpendicu ar to either 0 its sides 13 or 14 as well as divshaft engage agonally theretothough not to the best 'ad vantage on account of the rear wheel construct1onthe sweeper can be'operated directly toward or parallel with any side wall and readily enters a corner.

During the normal operation diagonal to faces 13 and 14, the ports along these two walls are diagonal to the directions of the movement while the ports 20 are perpendicularto the directions of movement, giving a very desirable combination of operating lines of suction and completely covering the space operated upon, most of it by several different ports. ,7

I recognize that others skilled in the art,

' in view of my disclosure will be able to present all or a part of my invention in varying forms difi'ering according to the preference of the individual, the individuality and skill of the designers or the extent of their desire toobtain the advantage of my invention without paying tribute to me; and it is, therefore, my intention to include herein all such forms as come within the fair spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is -1. In a suction sweeper, a motor having a shaft, a fan mounted upon the motor shaft, a gear directly connected with-said shaft, a rotary brush, a shaft and bearings therefor,

a gear carried by the brush shaft adapted to engage the first gear and positive cam-operated means for moving the brush and shaft endwise to engage the two gears or dis engage them as required.

2. In a suction sweeper, wallsformin an inlet compartment having its front we 8 at an an le to each other to form sides, apertured m the bottom adjacent to these sldes at an an le to the nearest adjacent sides and having t e apertures therein directed at an angle, those near one side to those near the other, in combination with a fan communicating with said inlet com artment, and discharging through the out st for the suctlon sweeper, and a motor for said fan.

3. In a suction sweeper, walls forming an inlet having angularly placed sides at the front, a fan compartment and a motor support, the inlet compartment being slitted at intervals along the bottom near the an larly placed sides at an angle to the achacent sides and the slits near oneside being at an angle to the slits near the other, and apertured between the inlet and fan compartments at the bottom of the fan compartment, in combination-with a fan within the fan compartment and a motor mounted upon thecasing axially in line with the fan.

4. In a suction sweeper, a brush adapted to be rotated, a shaft u on which said brush is mounted, (gearing or operation of the and disengaged by longitudinal movement of said shaft and ositive hand-actuated means for shifting sai shaft.

5. In a suction sweeper, a brush adapted to be rotated, a shaft upon which said brush is mounted, gearing for operation of the shaft, engaged and disengaged by longitudinal movement of said shaft, and a cam for actuation of said shaft in both directions.

6. A suction sweeper, in combination with a front roller, an adjustable support therefor, adapted to raise and lower said roller, a pairof rear rollers, bearings therefor, "a vertically movable mount for each of said bearings and threaded means for raising and lowering said mounts.

7. In a suction sweeper, a motor, a fan connected therewith and walls forming a fan compartment and a lower inlet com artment in communication therewith, the inlet compartment having front edges at an an le to each other and the bottom of the in etcompartment beingslitted adjacent these edges at an angle to these edges to provide air inlet openings.

8. In a suction sweeper, a motor, a fan connected therewith and walls forming a fan compartment and a lower inlet comp'artment in communication therewith, the inlet compartment having its front edges at an angle to each other, the bottom of the inlet compartment being slitted at intervals adjacent its front ed es at an angle to the nearer edges with the s its at one edge at an angle to those adjacent the other edge, and the rear portion being slitted at an angle to the slits 1n the front portion.

THOMAS W. GREEN. 

